I'm really trying to get second day hair. Actually, I wish I could get nice 1st day hair, but I'm trying to be patient.

I use either Deva Care no poo or As I am Co-wash to cleanse my hair. I have been told that I don't need to wash daily, and that I could probably go 5 days without washing it. How is this possible? I have knots and tangles after the first day.

Am I not supposed to wash it when I'm in the shower on days 2-5? It seems strange to get in the shower and not wash my hair. Should I be wearing a shower cap? Or do I just wet it and use a rinse out conditioner and then follow up like I would with my styling products?

2 b/c at the moment, 3a when not relaxed
Medium Texture
Normal Porosity

"I have been told that I don't need to wash daily, and that I could probably go 5 days without washing it. How is this possible? I have knots and tangles after the first day"
I just really started the curly girl method the right way yesterday(washed with a sulfate free shampoo) but I've been reading about it for at least a cpl. of weeks. Before that I was just rinsing my hair and conditioning it except for on Friday where I would do a deep conditioning with coconut oil then wash it afterwards.
I bought the "Curly Girl Handbook" and it's helped explain a lot plus the forums and wikiHow - How to do anything has some good article on the curly girl method. I'm still confused some (haven't finished the book all the way yet) but I'm slowly getting it!
Ideally I believe you are only supposed to "wash" your hair with conditioner and messaging your scalp with a thinner conditioner and then condition it with a thicker one.
Is that right? Please someone more experienced chime in on this one!

I wash my hair about 2wice a week. (sometimes 3 if it's a bad hair day)Recently, I've been having way better second and third day hair. I think how you style it at night is pretty important. I did read the CG Handbook as well.

I usually do the pineapple on the top of the head and wrap it with a little scrunchie only once, not twice. I rub my hands with a little bit of Coconut oil and pat it around the back, sides and front of hair and I sleep on a satin pillow.

In the morning, I take it down, spray a bit of water and a little bit more product and voila! It's great hair! I've only been successful recently, but this has been working.

Daily cowashing with CG did not damage my hair. I did it when it was shorter. But now I cowash about two times in between my weekly shampoo. A lot of people only wash once a week but my hair isn't having that.

It is damaging to wash your hair every day if you are using sulphates/shampoo. If you're going the co-wash route it shouldn't be so bad ... still though, you are stripping your hair of its natural oils.

I wash my hair twice a week and that works fine for me. But, then again, everyone's hair is different. You just have to experiment and see what works for you. But like I said, if you're not using shampoo and are simply cleansing with conditioner, then I think you should be okay.

You don't need to strip you hair everyday. Second day hair is all about your follicles restoring natural oils to your scalp. I find that my freshly washed hair has the most static and flyaways. Try co-washing. It leaves your hair fresh and moisturized.

Do you do wash your hair daily because it gets greasy easily? I heard that if that happens it's because you are stripping your hair and so it produces more oils to compensate. If you wash less (after an adjustment period) you will find your hair won't get greasy as easily.

If it's just because your curls go a bit lacklustre after the first day, can I ask what your nighttime routine is? Do you sleep on a silk/satin pillow case & pineapple?

In regards to knots and tangles I'm going to go with the whole 'curly hair, don't care' approach. You don't need to detangle your hair everyday day. I only detangle on wash days and my hair never looks matted or anything.

I would say to wear a shower cap on non-wash days (that's what I do) and only wash your hair a few times per week (depending on when it needs it).

It's entirely a personal preference. I've always cleansed my hair pretty much daily and have never had an issue with it (especially once I switched primarily to cleansing conditioners). There are others who skip the cleanse part but wet down their hair and condition and style everyday.

I was cowashing or rinsing out completely everyday when I was experimenting with products. My hair would become dry around noon and would not stay hydrated at all. Then I got the too-producty feeling, which I can't stand. Now that I've gotten it figured out for the most part, I try to wash every other day or every 3 days if I can. (I use a shower cap)

It hasn't hurt my hair at all, unless I low poo then it tends to get a bit fuzzy, so I try to go a couple days after a low poo. It just depends on your hair and your preference, like the previous poster said.

I usually wet my hair every day, although I don't shampoo or co-wash every day. After conditioning, I style as usual. Since your hair is tangling, you may need to wet daily and restyle. Wetting and applying moisture daily is usually not stripping to the hair. As your becomes healthier, you may be able to get second day hair.